


Day 17, Day 22

by Widowfics



Series: Varian and Whumptober 2020 [16]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Big Sis Rapunzel, Hurt Varian (Disney), Protective Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider, Whumptober 2020, aight let's do this, and people are not going to forget that, don't judge I'm just a freshman, drugged, for now..., he was a villain, he's safe, it wasn't his fault tho, of course, people are mad at him, wrongfully accused
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:08:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27066163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Widowfics/pseuds/Widowfics
Summary: “What is going on here!?”Any further attempts to shout accusations or hurl insults at Varian is silenced by a new voice. An important voice, ringing over all the others. No one dares to speak, all eyes trained on the small figure standing outside the throng of people filling up the town square.“Well?” Princess Rapunzel prods at the lack of an answer.orVarian is wrongfully accused of a crime; Rapunzel comes to his rescue
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Rapunzel & Varian
Series: Varian and Whumptober 2020 [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1940524
Comments: 24
Kudos: 139
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. I Did Not See That Coming

**Author's Note:**

> hey! this is a short one, but there is a second chapter, so I hope it's ok! I literally wrote it in thirty minutes...
> 
> PROMPTS I USED TODAY: wrongfully accused

“It wasn’t me!”

Varian’s defensive cry is cut off by a shove to the ground. All around him, people shout angrily. He tries not to focus on that, instead centering his vision on the cold cobblestone street inches away from his face.

“I swear, I didn’t do anything!”

His voice is drowned out by the protesting crowd, which only serves to spike his anxiety. He had known it was only a matter of time before they snapped, before the citizens of his home kingdom refused to allow a filthy traitor to live among them any longer. 

But why did it have to happen like _this_?

“Don’t speak, _boy_ ,” a particularly enraged woman yells when Varian manages to push himself back up. “Even your father knows you’re guilty!”

“N-no, that’s not true!” he yells back immediately, panic making his voice higher than usual.

“Is that so? Then where is he?”

Varian knows exactly where his father is. He’s back in Old Corona, taking charge of cleanup for the nearly tragic village fire last night.

The nearly tragic village fire that he did _not_ start.

True, he had been near the origin of the fire when it began. He’s still not entirely sure how that happened. One minute he was sleeping peacefully against a tree, Ruddiger in his arms and helping him to clear his mind after a stressful day. The next, his friend was pawing at his face and trying to wake him up as flames began to catch all around him. 

It was strange, but what’s even stranger is the fact that no one was there to see what had happened, yet as soon as he arrived in the city today, he was overrun by livid people who seemed to know everything.

And those same people now blame him.

“What is going on here!?”

Any further attempts to shout accusations or hurl insults at Varian is silenced by a new voice. An important voice, ringing over all the others. No one dares to speak, all eyes trained on the small figure standing outside the throng of people filling up the town square.

“Well?” Princess Rapunzel prods at the lack of an answer. Instead, people begin to part, allowing her to see the center of such a mess, the source of the problem. 

Her gaze falls on Varian, hand flying to her mouth at the sight of his messed up clothes and hair. She instantly rushes forward through the new path, Eugene, who also arrived with her, right behind her.

“Varian!” she exclaims, blocking him off from the previously attacking mob. 

“Are you hurt, kid?” Eugene asks, pushing his hair out of his face and looking him over.

Varian shakes his head, ignoring the bruises from being shoved around that claim otherwise. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Rapunzel demands, whipping around furiously. “I want an explanation!”

Finally, one of the men, whom Varian recognizes as the person who dragged him off of the street just a few minutes ago, steps forward. He fiddles with his hands, but his expression looks determined.

“Your Highness, with all due respect, you cannot keep protecting that criminal! He is a problem and a danger to all the people in Corona!”

The three tense, Varian more so than his friends. Eugene places a hand on his shoulder, and Rapunzel maintains her composure.

“Varian has served a sentence, and has since been pardoned for his crimes. He is no longer a problem _or_ a danger,” she replies smoothly.

“But he is, Princess!” someone else shouts from somewhere else in the crowd.

“How so?” Eugene retorts, irritation barely concealed.

“The fire in Old Corona last night! He’s responsible for it!”

The statement seems to spark something in the people, and Varian’s ears suddenly fill with dissenting and objecting once again. Different claims come from all around him, drowning out anything else.

“He was at the place where it started!”

“His experiments always end in disaster!”

“He did on purpose!”

“He wanted revenge on his neighbors!”

“He’s a threat!”

“He should’ve never been pardoned!”

“ENOUGH!”

Eugene’s booming voice causes even Varian to flinch. Soon, everyone falls quiet, attention on the royal couple for the second time. Rapunzel steels herself, glaring fiercely down at everyone, despite her lesser height. 

“Your claims,” she starts, looking back at her young friend as if to confirm what she is about to say. He shakes his head, which she takes as a denial of the mob’s protests. “Are not true. And I will _not_ be discussing anything about the devastation of last night here. So you can all go about your day, and you can leave justice to your King and your Queen.”

With that, she grabs Varian’s hand while Eugene grabs the other, and walks away. He follows without resistance, keeping his head down and his eyes off of the angry people surrounding him. His face is red, but he’s much more scared than embarrassed. He tries to think about the two different hands in his and nothing else, hoping to ward off oncoming hyperventilation. 

A nearby mutter penetrates his mind. The threat in it shatters his hope.

“Enjoy this while you can, _brat_. When this is over, you’re going to wish you had never left your disgusting little prison cell."

Varian shudders, violently. 

Because something inside tells him the words are true.


	2. Do These Tacos Taste Funny to You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two days ago, a fire raged through Old Corona. Varian was blamed for it.
> 
> Yesterday, he moved into the castle with Rapunzel and Eugene, temporarily. They told him he would be safer there.
> 
> A few hours ago, he went to bed in his new room, believing them.
> 
> Now, he was being proved very, very wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahaha I'm a mess. That's it. That's all I've got.
> 
> PROMPTS I USED TODAY: drugged

Two days ago, a fire raged through Old Corona. Varian was blamed for it.

Yesterday, he moved into the castle with Rapunzel and Eugene, temporarily. They told him he would be safer there.

A few hours ago, he went to bed in his new room, believing them.

Now, he was being proved very,  _ very  _ wrong.

He’s roughly shaken awake, sleepy eyes barely able to take anything in before everything goes dark again. There’s a bag over his head (why is there a bag over his head?), and the only thing guiding him is the harsh grip on his shoulders. Whispered threats by unidentifiable voices keep him from screaming out for help, and the feeling of being completely surrounded keeps him from struggling or trying to escape. 

After what feels like hours of walking like this, he hears a door open, before being led over a threshold. Then he’s shoved into a seat, barely steadying himself when the bag is ripped off his head. His senses are flooded; light from candles and lanterns all around cause him to turn away, shielding his eyes with his arm. The sound of muttering and mumbling fills his ears, and he looks back up, quickly adjusting to the brightness. 

He holds in a gasp as he realizes he’s in a room  _ full _ of people. Each person stares at him like he’s nothing more than dirt on the bottom of their shoes, despite the fact that he was just  _ kidnapped _ , and they must be behind it somehow.

Their presence reminds him of his situation and he acts impulsively, jolting out of his seat and darting towards the door. Unfortunately, someone suddenly steps in front of him, blocking his exit. They push him back into the chair, hard, and he yelps at the impact.

“Let me go!” he tries to yell, but his voice comes out small and scared, his eyes wild with fear.

“There’s no getting out of this, you little brat,” the man who pushed him growls. “Don’t make us hurt you…” he adds.

That’s enough to make Varian clamp his mouth shut, and stay still. Soon, a loud clanging fills the room, causing him to flinch violently, already on edge.

Another man holds a bell and a stick, banging on it until everyone falls quiet. He stands with his back towards Varian, so he can’t see his face, but the glint of gold metal for his outfit at least tells him it’s a guard. A palace guard.

_ Of course.  _ He was never really safe. Not if even the guards are in on this whole thing. There’s nowhere safe, it seems; not for traitors like him.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the guard starts in a loud voice, “You’re all here tonight for something very important. Something we’ve been waiting for for a long time. Something we  _ deserve _ . Behind me is a terrorist. Our princess may think he’s not a threat, but she’s very distracted right now taking care of problems  _ he  _ caused. And I’m not just talking about the fire. We all know this boy to be selfish and reckless. He was dangerous even before he committed crimes against the crown, and Princess Rapunzel knows this. We love our princess, yes. But can we trust her right now when it comes to this  _ menace _ ?”

Immediately the crowd interrupts into loud  _ no _ ’s, some shaking their fists or spitting other insults. Varian hangs his head at the accusations. He’s grateful to Rapunzel and he doesn’t think any of those things about her, but…

He can’t help but hear truth in the statements.

“Alright, alright!” the guard shouts, not bothering to hit the bell this time. “Back to the fire! Old Corona was just starting to get back to the way it was, and now they practically have to restart. This criminal will never admit how or why he did what he did, but we’re not going to take that. We’re  _ done _ letting him walk free.”

Finally, the guard turns around, looking down at Varian with a smirk on his face. He notices he holds a bag in one hand, but that’s not what makes a whimper escape his lips as his eyes widen.

“Which is why we’re gonna  _ make  _ him tell us,” he says, look fixed on the teen in front of him, but tone loud enough for everyone else to hear him. Smirk growing wider, he adds, “Remember me?”

Varian stays silent, refusing to answer the all too familiar guard’s question. All he can think about are those hands, mercilessly knocking him to the ground and that smile, laughing at him when he was too weak to fight back. A shiver runs down his spine.

“Hmm,” is all he says at the lack of an answer. “Well, let’s get on with it then.”

The guard reaches into the bag, slowly rummaging through it. Varian - along with the rest of the crowd, apparently - holds his breath. It seems like an eternity before he finally pulls out a small bottle, grin widening at the sight of it.

“Of course. I figured you would still have this. Not quite giving up our old ways, now are we?”

He holds up the bottle for everyone to see, eliciting a string of gasps from them. Varian gasps too, cursing himself when he reads the label.

_ Truth Serum _ .

“I think it’s time we know the truth, Varian,” he announces, smile finally dropping.

Without a second of warning, the guard shoots a hand towards his jaw, forcing his mouth open. With his other hand, he pops the lid off and shoves the liquid in. In his surprise, Varian swallows, immediately coughing and choking, eyes watering even when the guard steps away.

He waits for the boy to be done, completely serious now that they’re starting to move on to the next part of...whatever they have planned for him.

“Remember me now?” he whispers for only Varian’s ears, knowing his old prisoner can’t avoid the question this time.

“Yes,” Varian chokes out, gaze fixed on the ground. The guard looks pleased, though he doesn’t smile again (he’s thankful).

“Varian of Old Corona, we, the  _ people _ of Corona, have a question for you. And since the drug made by your own hands still works, you will have no choice but to give us an honest answer.”

He looks around the room, and Varian follows his gaze. The people look more than ready.

“Why did you start the fire?” he starts, focusing back on his victim. “We may not agree with it, but the Royal Family gave you a second chance. Why are you already throwing it away?”

Varian gapes, leaning forward in his chair. He would’ve rolled his eyes if it hadn’t been for the constant fear in his stomach, or the pang of pain that shoots through him. Right, he has to answer.

“I-I’m not,” he stutters, biting back a groan. “I didn’t.”

The guard raises an eyebrow. “Didn’t what?”

“I didn’t start the fire!”

For the first time in this entire ordeal, confusion flashes across the guard’s face. 

“What?”

“I-I didn’t do it!” he clarifies, now almost excited. Maybe if they realized that he’s not lying, that he really isn’t bad anymore, they’ll let him go. Or maybe, just maybe, they won’t hate him anymore (could this be all he needs?) “That’s what I’ve been saying! I swear I didn’t do it. I wouldn’t!”

For a split second, all is quiet, and his hopes rise to the very top, his fear almost gone.

But then it all comes crashing down.

People yell, people scream. They sound more enraged than ever. They don’t believe him, the serum is a scam, he deserves to go back to jail, he’s too dangerous to be let out. Liar. Brat. Criminal. Traitor.

The guard is trying to single handedly calm down the growing mob, obviously flustered by his failed attempt to truly prove Varian guilty in front of what must be half the city. Varian can’t even find any satisfaction in it, though, as realizations and realities begin to dawn.

And suddenly, he  _ has _ to get out of here.

For the second time tonight, he flies out of his chair, somehow slipping past all the angry townspeople and out the door. He’s not sure where he is, but it’s somewhere in the city, and through his panic fueled adrenaline, he’s far away in minutes. People chase him, but none can catch up. At one point he passes by an abandoned wagon and scrambles under it. As silent as possible, he watches feet stampede past his face, heart beating so loudly he swears they’ll turn back around and find him.

Once he’s sure they’re gone, he slumps to the ground, not caring how cold it is. The tears started a long time ago, and now they fall freely. Childishly, he wishes his dad were with him, but deep down he knows even his father couldn’t stop this.

What was he thinking? Nothing was going to change the minds of an entire kingdom full of people who hate him with everything they have. Not even the truth. Especially not the truth.

That’s just not how things work.

He’s alone. He’s been alone for a while now, hasn’t he? And yet, he still can’t seem to wrap his head around it. He’s back where he started, and it’s sad. It’s awful.

But it’s the truth.

How ironic.

He glances up at the moon, letting out a shaky sigh. Maybe it’s time he start accepting reality.

Even if no one else can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is kinda my theory for the fire (not that anyone cares) but basically someone saw Varian sleeping against the tree and just sorta yeeted their lantern at him...cause they're a jerk...only you can start forest fires kids. yeah there's a reason it didn't end up in the fic
> 
> thx for reading:)

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading:)


End file.
